


Cross the Line

by Spacecadet72



Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-07 23:38:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1918437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mallory Fae is fighting for custody for her niece, Aurora, and hopes her court ordered therapy sessions will help with that. Diaval Byrne loves his work and his ability to help people, but there's something about this new patient that interests him.</p><p>-ON HIATUS-</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cross the Line

**Author's Note:**

> This is in response to a prompt from cyprith over on tumblr. :D Also, quick disclaimer, while I have done research and taken some psych classes for my major, I am not in the counseling field, or what anyone would consider an expert.

The sun had already risen, but the city still had that early morning look and feel. The air was crisp and the light had a soft quality, as if the day was still waking up along with the people. Dr. Diaval Byrne yawned as he walked through the back door to his office building. He had been up late the night before going over patient files, and this morning had come much too quickly.

Opening the door to his office, he walked quickly to his desk, setting his briefcase down on the floor by his chair. He arranged the files and papers on his desk into tidy piles, moving pens and notepads from where he had left them last night.

Sitting down, he pulled the court ordered therapy form for a new patient from beneath a pile of patient files. Mallory Fae was fighting for custody of her niece following the death of her sister. She claimed that her brother-in-law was an unfit parent. He had looked over the form last night, but read through it again. The court was concerned about the trauma of losing her sister, in addition to her recent recovery from injuries she sustained in an accident, and the affect it would have on her ability to provide the best home for her niece. The form gave few details, and he wouldn't be able to truly know how to best help her until he met her.

He moved the form aside as he got ready for the three patients he had scheduled before Ms. Fae.

\------

His secretary showed Ms. Fae in at twelve o'clock, and he stood as she walked into the room and gestured for her to take a seat.

He watched her look around before she sat down. His office was plain, the walls a pale, muted green with a few pretty, but generic art pieces to give his patients something to look at when eye contact became too difficult. His desk was made of dark wood, and the top was covered in piles of papers and files. There was a large window behind the desk that looked out onto the small lawn behind the practice, with trees planted on the perimeter. He sat in a chair beside the desk instead of behind it. He tried to have as comfortable and open a feel to his office and his sessions as possible.

She was dressed professionally in a pressed light gray pantsuit and black pumps, her hair up in a tight, but flattering bun. She was beautiful, but it was a cold beauty, all strong angles and long lines. She looked flawless, especially compared to his rumpled dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his tie starting to loosen. He’d lost the suit jacket after his first client and the sleeves had been pushed up after the third. He was glad to see her so put together. Proper court etiquette of each party was a factor in these cases and dressing well was a part of that.

She chose a seat in the chair opposite him, her posture straight and stiff. She crossed her legs at the ankles, and placed her hands in her lap.

He cleared his throat as she looked at him expectantly. "I thought we'd start by discussing you and what you want to get out of these sessions."

“You don’t want to hear about what happened?” she looked down at her hands as she spoke, her voice low.

“I want to hear about whatever you want to tell me about. These sessions will be whatever you need them to be. I might ask questions to clarify and get you to think about things, but I’m not here to force you into talking about anything. The only thing about these sessions that are mandated is that they happen. The court hasn’t outlined what we talk about, so that’s up to you.”

Mal nodded, but didn't speak.

"If you want to start by giving me a little background about you, that would be helpful." he suggested and she nodded again.

They started out slow, with him listening as she talked. He took brief notes, but mostly kept mental notes about names, places and feelings. Getting the basic outline of her life was a good place to start for both of them. If he had background information it would allow him to follow her stories in later sessions, and talking about surface details was often more comfortable for the client as they were just starting out.

She told him about her work as a security consultant, but glossed over the other parts of her life. There seemed to be few friends, and she didn’t sound close to her co-workers. She told him about her niece, Aurora, who spent at least a couple nights a week at her apartment. She didn’t say it, but Diaval guessed that her place was much safer than home for the twelve year old.

As she described her life, she was matter of fact, betraying very little emotion. Except for when talking about her niece. When Aurora was the topic of conversation, her voice was warm, and she had hints of a smile.

The session ended after deciding on a time for their next meeting, and she walked out quickly, bidding him a short, but polite goodbye. He took a few notes on his impressions of the session and Ms. Fae as a patient. He paused before getting up to prepare for his next session. Each patient was unique and brought their own challenges, but she intrigued him, and he found himself looking forward to their session next week.


End file.
